Tommy Jones takes first round lead in PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open

WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 27, 2017) - Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., averaged 242.8 Saturday to take the first-round qualifying lead in the Professional Bowlers Association's Xtra Frame Wilmington Open at Ten Pin Alley Family Fun Center by seven pins over Jason Sterner of Rockledge, Fla.

Jones, a 38-year-old 18-time PBA Tour champion, rolled games of 232, 221, 236, 279, 257 and 232 for his first six qualifying games for a 1,457 pinfall total in a closely contested round that saw six players finish within 37 pins of the leader. Mitch Beasley of Clarksville, Tenn., was third with 1,440 pins followed by BJ Moore III of Greensburg, Pa., and Rhino Page of Orlando, Fla., tied for fourth with 1,424 totals, and two-hander Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C., with 1,420 pins.

The field of 96 bowlers will return for a second six-game qualifying round Sunday, with two squads starting at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. EDT. The top 16 players after 12 games will advance to Monday's 12-game modified round robin match play finals, leading into the four-player stepladder finals at 3 p.m.

All rounds of the Xtra Frame Wilmington Open, the second tournament in a seven-event Xtra Frame Storm Cup point series, will be live streamed on PBA's online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. For Xtra Frame subscription information, visit xtraframe.tv.